Old Mole Variety Hour

The Old Mole burrows down to the roots of the great issues of our time – the struggles of ordinary people for democratic and sustainable ways of life. The Mole goes where corporate media fear to tread, supporting grassroots challenges to top-down authority and giving voice to movements that shake the foundations of an unjust society. The Moles' perspective is democratic, broadly socialist, and feminist. (We count Karl Marx as a friend).

Bill Resnick interviews Steve Early, an activist with the Richmond Progressive Alliance regarding their successful work to reform Richmaond Police.

Clayton Morgareidge discusses and reads from a Nation article entitled "The Civil Rights Movement Came Out of A Moment Like This One," by Dani McClain referring to the recent killings of unarmed black children and men.

Larry Bowlden reviews Ellen Meloy's new book, Eating Stone: Imagination and the Loss of the Wild. Meloy is a well-known nature writer.

Ivan Hale shares an article about queer femme invisibility or how feminine lesbians often go unrecognized.

Denise Morris Hosts this week's episode of The Old Mole Variety Hour which includes these segments:

• Bill Resnick interviews Larry Kleinman. Kleiman is co-founder of the Oregon Farm Workers union PCUN and is now working nationally on the immigrants rights struggle and preparing for changes in the law. They talk about Obama's recent very controversial Executive Order as well as the future of immigrant politics in this country.

Desiree Hellegers interviews Dan Handelman ofPortland Copwatch/Peace and Justice Works about the implications of the 3-2 Portland City Council’s vote to reenter a Joint Terrorism Task Force agreement with the FBI on February 19, 2005, the 73rd anniversary of Executive Order 9066 ordering the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

If we condemn war -- since "war is hell" -- can we condemn all wars? What do we say about the terrible US Civil War that ended the enormous brutality of slavery? Clayton Morgareidge explores the contradiction.

If we condemn war -- since "war is hell" -- can we condemn all wars? What do we say about the terrible US Civil War that ended the enormous brutality of slavery? Clayton Morgareidge explores the contradiction.

Bill Resnick talks with Craig Morris about Renewables International and the example of Germany. They discuss the Energiewende--Germany's aim to transition to a renewable energy economy and leave nuclear and fossil energy behind--as well as the problems of subsidies for large polluters and the successes of democratizing sustainable energy production.

Iven Hale reads the names of the transwomen killed in the US so far this year, and calls attention to Worldwide Don't Kill a Trans Woman Week, which has a page on facebook.
See alsoHRC report on AntiTransgender Violence

Christian Parenti talks with Bill Resnick about his latest book Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence. It traces
· the collapse of many countries under the pressures of neo-colonialism and neo-liberalism that extract resources and keep the nations impoverished,
· militarism and the prevalence of weapons and highly armed thuggery,
· misrule by kleptocratic elites, and
· climate change, that the Pentagon calls a "threat multiplier."

The whole ensemble combines to threaten civilization as we know it. Parenti outlines some policies that might work to avoid that fate.

It's convenient to have the Old Mole audio files available.
Even more useful for some of us would be transcripts of the commentaries (Clayton Morgareidge). Written material allows a person a chance to review, consider, digest and refer to mentioned references & thinkers. The "Well Read Red" commentary from 4 Aug 08 is a good example of a piece I'd like to read at my own pace.